1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vent assemblies, and more particularly to a component soffit vent apparatus.
2. Discussion
A variety of vent apparatuses are typically used in residential and commercial dwellings to allow ventilation of attics and other interior areas of the dwelling. In the past, with the bathroom areas of dwellings, it was common to vent air exhausted from a bathroom via a bathroom fan through duct work into an attic or other like area of a dwelling, and to allow the exhausted air to escape to the external environment through one or more roof vents or soffit vents associated with the roof of the dwelling.
Recently, building codes have been amended to require the air exhausted via a bathroom fan to be exhausted through an independent, dedicated vent. Hence, it is no longer permissible in many cities to vent air exhausted from a bathroom exhaust fan directly into an attic of the dwelling.
While various vent apparatuses exist which may be attached to an exterior surface of the dwelling such as a soffit and communicate with an exhaust fan disposed within one of the rooms of the dwelling, such apparatuses have often been somewhat cumbersome to install, expensive, or have added to the complexity of installing vinyl or aluminum siding in the area surrounding that where the vent apparatus is placed. In addition, many previously developed vent apparatuses are not easily suited to be retrofitted to existing dwellings when an additional interior exhaust fan is added to the dwelling that necessitates an independent vent for dedicated use therewith.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent apparatus for use with an interior exhaust fan of a building such as a dwelling, which may be easily and quickly secured to an exterior surface of the dwelling such as a soffit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent apparatus which includes two component parts, one of which may be secured directly to an exterior surface of a building such as a soffit thereof, and the second part of which may be quickly and easily secured to the first part without the need for additional external fasteners or complicated assembly steps.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent apparatus which may be positioned on a horizontally extending soffit of a building such as a dwelling, or alternatively, positioned on a vertically extending exterior surface of a building, to enable the exhausting of air from an interior exhaust fan of the building.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent apparatus which is well-suited to enabling the exhausting of air from an interior exhaust fan of a building, and which further is of a construction which enables it to be secured to an exterior surface of the building without complicating the addition of vinyl or aluminum siding to the areas immediately adjacent the vent apparatus.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent apparatus which is relatively inexpensive and easily constructed from conventional molding techniques, which is light-weight, resists weathering and the elements, and which may be installed on an exterior surface of the building with conventional fastening elements such as nails or wood screws.